It has been popular for centuries to keep and display pet animals such as small birds and mammals for the enjoyment of household members and guests. It has long been the practice to construct wire frame cages to enclose the animals so that the animals may be observed and heard as they lead their captive lives, and to ensure that the animals receive adequate lighting and ventilation. Wire cages however possess a number of drawbacks, not the least of which is the difficulty of cleaning animal droppings from the assembly of wires, which tends to collect the droppings and is difficult to clean short of scrubbing and hosing down the entire cage. This presents the additional difficulty of having to remove the animal prior to cleaning the enclosure. With small flying birds, removal from the enclosure can be an exasperating experience.
Moreover, some persons find the odor of the animals to be unpleasant, and wire cages do nothing to contain this odor. Glass walled animal enclosures provide relief from unpleasant odors from animal droppings, but still possess the disadvantage that the animals must be removed from the enclosure to clean the glass walls. Glass walled enclosures must further include provision for ventilation lest the animals suffocate. Prior art ventilation systems often do nothing but exhaust odoriferous air from the enclosure to the exterior, where it can annoy those viewing the animals.
In addition to the need for removing odor from the air expelled from an animal enclosure, there is often a need to protect the animals inside the enclosure. Certain species of small birds are susceptible to some diseases carried by humans, and it would be desirable to provide an animal enclosure which minimizes the exposure of these animals to air-borne disease-causing organisms and to particulate matter in the air such as dust.
With almost all animal enclosures, there is the need for cleaning of the bottom of the enclosure, which tends to collect the greatest amount of animal droppings. These droppings also can accumulate on perches provided for the animals. Traditional methods of receiving these wastes include the use of a newspaper-lined tray which is unpleasant to look at and which exposes the animal droppings to the air so that the unpleasant odors can waft to the exterior of the enclosure.
Perches are sometimes provided for animal enclosures so that the animal can sit on perch in a more natural environment. These perches are sometimes made from naturally occurring tree stems and branches to provide an aesthetically pleasing and natural appearance. Such perches will typically become fouled with animal droppings after a period of use, and thus require periodic replacement. Since naturally occurring branches do not grow alike, there is frequently a need to compensate for variations in the size and configuration of a replacement branch so that the perching area is suitable for the animal and fits within the enclosure.
Accordingly, there has long been a need for an animal enclosure which has easily cleanable walls, which does not require removal of the animals for cleaning, which possesses a superior method of receiving and disguising the animal droppings, which does not exhaust air contaminated by the odor of animal droppings to the exterior of the enclosure, and which filters the incoming air for the animals. Moreover, there is a need for a device which compensates for variations in naturally occurring tree branches when used for animal perches.